Did We Watch the Same Speech?

Posted on | July 22, 2016 | 42 Comments

CLEVELAND
The hysterical reaction by many journalists to Donald Trump’s speech last night was further evidence of their absurd bias.

Donald Trump’s RNC Speech
Was a Terrifying Display of
Nightmarish Authoritarianism
— Peter Suderman, Reason

The Demagogue Rises
— Matthew Continetti, Free Beacon

Donald Trump’s Un-American Acceptance Speech
— Franklin Foer, Slate

Donald Trump’s Angry, Dark Speech
Caps Off a Disastrous RNC
— Joan Walsh, The Nation

What speech did they watch? Angry? Dark? Terrifying? This negative perception was entirely subjective, a product of irrational bias. The speech I watched here Thursday night was awesome:

Zak Hasanin was walking along a downtown sidewalk Thursday afternoon when he said, “Did you hear that? ‘America Was Never Great’?” He was quoting a slogan shouted by left-wing protesters near the Republican National Convention here. “Those people need to go to Africa. They don’t know how good they’ve got it.”
Hasanin’s family immigrated to America from Sudan when he was a child, and the 23-year-old recent graduate of North Carolina State University was angered at the anti-American protest slogan.
“How is this not great?” Hasanin said, gesturing at the scene on Euclid Avenue, where vendors were hawking Donald Trump T-shirts outside shops and restaurants crowded with delegates. “This is Cleveland. Anywhere in Africa, this would be the greatest city in the country.”
The hope of renewing American greatness was what brought Hasanin and thousands of other Republicans to Cleveland, and Thursday night Trump delivered what was without doubt the strongest speech of his campaign to date.
“America is a nation of believers, dreamers, and strivers that is being led by a group of censors, critics, and cynics,” Trump said near the end of his hour-plus address to an enthusiastic crowd at Quicken Loans Arena. “Remember, all of the people telling you that you can’t have the country you want, are the same people telling you that I wouldn’t be standing here tonight.”
Indeed, in the past year, Trump’s success has confounded the cynics and critics who at first did not take his campaign seriously. The same doubters, including many conservative pundits, subsequently panicked when Trump’s populist campaign caught fire with primary voters who ignored the pundits and voted for the billionaire businessman who promised to put a stop to illegal immigration. Trump took special aim at “elites in media” who he said are “lining up behind the campaign of my opponent.”
Indeed, liberals reacted with alarm to Trump’s speech. Former MSNBC personality Melissa Harris-Perry walked out 10 minutes into his speech, declaring “I left early because I was afraid.” CNN personality Sally Kohn seemed traumatized, moaning on Twitter: “The problem is, this speech seems believable and convincing, especially in a vacuum. I’m scared.” On NBC, former Bush aide Nicolle Wallace announced, “The Republican Party that I worked for for two decades died in this room tonight.”
Of course, the GOP couldn’t beat Barack Obama in 2008 or 2012, and none of the regular Republican candidates could beat Trump for the nomination this year, so what were the chances that a Nicolle Wallace-approved Republican could have defeated Hillary Clinton this year? . . .

Read the whole thing at The American Spectator. What frightens so many elitists about Donald Trump, I believe, is that his views represent the non-elite majority of Americans. Nicolle Wallace attended Cal-Berkeley (Class of ’94) and got her graduate degree at Northwestern University. She got hired by the Bush family in 1999, married a Bush staffer, and has spent her entire adult life among the Republican Party elite, looking down her snooty nose at the rest of us. Nicolle Wallace despises ordinary Americans quite as thoroughly as any liberal elitist despises ordinary Americans.

To hell with such establishment snobbery, and good riddance to Bushism.

Comments

42 Responses to “Did We Watch the Same Speech?”

Evi L. Bloggerlady
July 22nd, 2016 @ 7:33 pm

Yes, but their interpretation will not translate to the electorate.
https://twitter.com/MsEBL/status/756612412321722368
Evi L. Bloggerlady
July 22nd, 2016 @ 7:35 pm

I knew the speech was successful when I saw Van Jones slam it on CNN immediately afterwards.
Steve Skubinna
July 22nd, 2016 @ 7:57 pm

Yeah, that was one hint. Also, Joan Walsh doesn’t like Trump? Then I may have to subscribe to his newsletter.

As for the libertarian horror at Trump, they’ll go reliably Dem if Hillary promises to legalize all drugs.
Steve Skubinna
July 22nd, 2016 @ 7:57 pm

Trump grates on me. He sets my teeth on edge. I will have to hold my nose to vote for him.

But he is not that loathsome corrupt statist kleptocrat Hillary.
Steve White
July 22nd, 2016 @ 8:07 pm

The words “dark” and “darkness” were used by just about every MSM headline writer, op-ed piece, columnist and newshound this morning to describe Trump’s acceptance speech.

Why, it’s almost as if they had marching orders from a centralized source…
M. Thompson
July 22nd, 2016 @ 8:28 pm

He’s still a corrupt statist kleptocrat, but he hasn’t commited an act that would get anyone else cashired.
Adobe_Walls
July 22nd, 2016 @ 8:38 pm

Melissa Harris-Perry, Joan Walsh, Nicolle Wallace, Sally Kohn the Bush’s and all the elitists from both parties have every reason to be terrified. The rise of Trump signals the end of their hold on power, the end of their disastrous influence on every aspect of our society.
Wombat_socho
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:32 pm

Which she won’t. The fix is in.
DeadMessenger
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:32 pm

Melissa Harris-Perry walked out 10 minutes into his speech, declaring “I left early because I was afraid.”

She meant to say, “I left early because I had to change my tampon earrings.”

Sally Kohn seemed traumatized…

Cognitive dissonance does that to a person, Sally, look it up. But are you sure that you didn’t just see Ben Shapiro in a kosher deli downtown?

On NBC, former Bush aide Nicolle Wallace announced, “The Republican Party that I worked for for two decades died in this room tonight.”

No Nicolle, the Republican Party died the day your ex-boss signed the Patriot Act.
DeadMessenger
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:34 pm

Yes. Trump is the synthesis. Imagine the voters’ surprise when they see what really happens during the next four years.
Steve Skubinna
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:38 pm

Yeah, she’s a wholly owned corporate tool. And besides, the Dems prosecute the war on drugs at least as enthusiastically as do Republicans.

Face it, it’s a ready made excuse for expansion of government power and funding and patronage.
DeadMessenger
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:38 pm

Maybe. We know Trump is lying, we just don’t know how badly. But I do think he will possibly be somewhat less bad than Hillary. I was pretty disgusted with the Pence choice, though (but not entirely surprised, given that Trump is a businessman).
robertstacymccain
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:39 pm

“Democrats with bylines.”
DeadMessenger
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:40 pm

You could’ve left out the phrase “wholly owned corporate” and still been correct.
Steve Skubinna
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:42 pm

He also will face genuine bipartisan resistance if he tries anything egregious.

We already know the Dem establishment is on board with eliminating the First, Second, and Fifth Amendments (well, except for the part of the last one which they claim when under oath).
Steve Skubinna
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:43 pm

Like some sort of List for Journalists?

Hmmm…
CPAguy
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:47 pm

#NeverTrump
#NeverHillary

#Probably Johnson
DeadMessenger
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:47 pm

Well that’s true, because the only good parts of the Constitution/Amendments are the parts that clearly and incontrovertibly state that abortion is fine; same sex marriage is a thing that the founding fathers wanted; “separation of church and state”; and that it’s ok for the government to force citizens to buy a product and SCOTUS to approve a tax to support it.
DeadMessenger
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:50 pm

Sure, but where would we find one of those? Maybe Ezra Klein could help us.
Steve Skubinna
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:55 pm

You forgot the part that says “And when we say ‘arms’ we mean muskets, and when we say ‘the people’ we mean the government so you can’t have them anyway.”.
Adobe_Walls
July 22nd, 2016 @ 9:59 pm

Yet you know that’s not going to happen. In a binary political system you only get one of two choices, voting for anyone else is to choose not to choose.
DeadMessenger
July 22nd, 2016 @ 10:02 pm

Excellent point. Lucky the Constitution specifically says that, or the government would look really totalitarian when they come to confiscate people’s weapons. “We’re from the government and we’re here to help.”
DeadMessenger
July 22nd, 2016 @ 10:07 pm

I remember years ago when I said I wanted to vote for Ross Perot, and a friend’s dad comtemptuously said, “Sure, throw away your vote.” He was right, though.
Homeward! (The Great Tip-Jar Rattle) : The Other McCain
July 22nd, 2016 @ 10:15 pm

[…] July 22: Did We Watch the Same Speech? […]
CPAguy
July 23rd, 2016 @ 6:47 am

If Johnson gets on the debate stage, anything can happen.

He appeals to conservatives because he is a strict constitutionilist, although they won’t like his pot smoking that aspect will appeal to Bernie Bros.

We do not have a binary system. We just have been suckered into believing that is the case.
Quartermaster
July 23rd, 2016 @ 10:28 am

Perot was right and might have won if he had not pulled the crazy thing about Bush threatening his daughter’s wedding and taking a dive. Perot may have been afraid he would win.
Quartermaster
July 23rd, 2016 @ 10:33 am

I have bad feelings about Trump. Bush was billed as a hard conservative and even fooled Limbaugh. After he was elected, he reverted to what he was as Texas Governor, a moderate liberal.

Trump was, for most of his life, and immoderate liberal. If he reverts to type, it won’t matter that he beat Hillary. I think he will revert.

I also have the feeling he’s going to lose. He has so much in his closet that Hillary has to be salivating. His treatment of Cruz and his supporters (just stay home Ted, we don’t need you), and the absolute cult of personality among the Trumpunks on any site that dares question their little god, is not designed to foster unity. At this point, there is no way I can pull the lever for Trump and look myself in the mirror afterwards.
Quartermaster
July 23rd, 2016 @ 10:35 am

No, he’s the “almost as loathsome, corrupt, statist kleptocrat.” There are serious red flags flying on Trump now. I think he will revert to what he was before he had to con the primary electorate to get where he is now.
Quartermaster
July 23rd, 2016 @ 10:36 am

God’s judgment is gonna be rough.
Adobe_Walls
July 23rd, 2016 @ 12:41 pm

We. Have. A. Binary. System. To believe otherwise is pure wishcasting. Short of one or both Hillary or Trump dying one of them will be president.
WarEagle82
July 23rd, 2016 @ 1:25 pm

I only heard part of the speech but found it long on promises and devoid on details how he might fulfill or accomplish his promises.

I think Trump believes everything he says when he says it but 10 minutes later he may believe something else completely different.

Trump appears unconcerned about his past statements especially if they become inconvenient.

What’s a true, constitutional conservative to do?
WarEagle82
July 23rd, 2016 @ 1:28 pm

It seems the Democrats are huge 5th amendment supporters mainly because the need it so frequently.
Steve Skubinna
July 23rd, 2016 @ 1:48 pm

Well, as I said, the part they invoke when under oath.

The other parts, about you and me and that whole due process thing? Nope.
Steve Skubinna
July 23rd, 2016 @ 1:51 pm

Third parties only work in the US once one of the existing ones self destructs.

Maybe we’ll get a Constitutionalist party after the Republicans self destruct. That is, if we still actually have a real representative democracy by then, and not the farce socialist nations prefer.
Steve Skubinna
July 23rd, 2016 @ 1:53 pm

Trump is a shameless opportunist.

However, as I state above, he’s more likely to face real opposition from Congress than Hillary will, even if he morphs into More Of The Same. Nobody will be able to disagree with Hillary on anything without being a misogynist hater, just as disagreement with Obama’s collectivist and statist policies is straight up racism.
JT
July 23rd, 2016 @ 2:03 pm

Johnson is pro-pot and anti-religious liberty. It’s the worst of both worlds.
Finrod Felagund
July 23rd, 2016 @ 5:29 pm

Agreed completely. I reached the same conclusion back in February, that I cannot vote for Trump and that he is going to lose badly to Clinton.

#NeverTrump
#NeverHillary
Adobe_Walls
July 23rd, 2016 @ 8:56 pm

When I say we have a binary system I don’t mean we have a two party system. The Democratic and Republican parties are merely two factions of the “big government” party. We don’t need a ”third party”, a second one would do. And no the Libertarian party doesn’t fill the bill.
Larry Gwaltney
July 24th, 2016 @ 10:30 am

You miss the point completely. Donald Trump’s speech was terrifying for the same reason that listening to Satan read the Sermon On the Mount would be terrifying.
ShadrachSmith
July 26th, 2016 @ 12:51 pm

Robert Novak was the original dark prince of CNN
arik matthews
July 28th, 2016 @ 8:04 pm

“This is Cleveland. Anywhere in Africa, this would be the greatest city in the country.”

Sadly, this says more about the sorry state of cities in Africa than it does about Cleveland.
arik matthews
July 28th, 2016 @ 8:06 pm

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Heard that somewhere, once.